A comparative analysis of ethical development of student nurses registered for a basic degree and basic diploma programme in KwaZulu Natal

Abstract

A comparative descriptive study was conducted to establish whether the Comprehensive Basic Nursing Course (CBNC) is able to develop students ethically, and how educational preparation from two different programmes (basic degree and basic diploma) influence their ethical development. This study was conducted because of the concerns on the escalating number of litigations instituted against nurses. Several studies have indicated that some of these litigations are as a result of the growing complexity of the health care system and the society’s increasing awareness of their human rights. Some studies have shown that nurses are failing to make principled and ethically sound decisions because they are inadequately prepared to handle ethical issues in an ethically responsible manner.
A purposively selected sample of third and fourth year students from both programmes was used. Data was collected from both groups through the use of questionnaires. The findings revealed that the students are developing ethically in a CBNC but the level of ethical development is influenced by their educational preparation, teaching approaches and strategies used, clinical environment, hospital bureaucracy, rules and policies.